A Doozy of a Smoothie

OUR ADDICTION TO TRENDY SPENDING

With the advent and continual rise of social media and influencers, it appears the fear of missing out (FOMO) has only grown over the years. I thought I would personally outgrow the pressing need to engage in trendy foods or habits in my 30s, but marketing a la influencers is more formidable than I could have ever imagined. Peter, on the other hand, describes this unrelenting need to engage in trends as a hedonic treadmill. In fact, he revels in the joy of missing out (which he lovingly dubs as JOMO), finding that these beguiling pleasures add nothing of value to his life.

One of Peter’s acquaintances from pharmacy school, upon graduation, bought the most expensive Tesla available on the market at that time, decked out with all the bells and whistles. This acquaintance was determined to buying the best of the best, and would not settle for “subpar.” Teslas were relatively new then with a price point to match it’s touted environmental consciousness, efficiency, and reliability.

Fast forward a few years and Teslas seemingly make up half the cars on the road, at least here in Southern California. Their price has also dropped markedly when comparing similar models and amenities. This solidified for Peter that people willingly enslave themselves to fabricated hype and trends.

Peter is simply not interested in hype or trends, especially those that provide no emotional or financial value. One thing I’ve learned though is that he is not frugal but simply mindful about how he indulges. In fact, he is often supportive of my shopping habits as he sees the joy I derive from various activities he personally would deem as trendy or unnecessary.

Because my happiness and joy are important to him, my (selective) indulgence is then acceptable to him. Being the problem-solver that he is, however, he will find ways to optimize or maximize my experience or spending which I greatly appreciate.

When Wicked came out in theaters November 2024, I excitedly made plans with one of my good friends to go see it on opening night. Given it’s popularity and hype, we knew there would be crowds of people. This setting of being in a dark room with crowds of people and overwhelming surround sound was straight out of Peter’s book of dislikes. I told him I’d be going with my friend and that he did not need to come with.

Seeing how excited I was for the movie, he instead scrounged up multiple gift cards and coupons to essentially pay for all our tickets that opening night. He sat through the movie with me and actually ended up enjoying it. He wouldn’t have seen it on opening night and would have preferred to instead wait until it was available for streaming if it weren’t to spend time with me.

This brought forth an interesting discussion between us. For me, such an experience as seeing Wicked on opening night could not be re-captured, replicated, or duplicated. Whereas I am scared and annoyed of spoilers, Peter really could not care less. I also find it another point of connection with friends and family—a point on which we could discuss or talk.

Of course, there is the obvious of spending valuable time with a dear friend, soaking in the ambience of a movie theatre, and being present amongst civilization. Again, aside from friendship, Peter does not really find any of these elements particularly enticing.

In a similar situation, Peter once waited with me in a very long line during a Labubu drop just to watch a grown man (me) spend over $200 on trendy plushies. We were dropping by a mall in LA while en route to visiting some family and friends. We went to the mall expressly to hand off some of my dress shoes for repair. As we got in steps that morning after delivering my shoes, we noticed a long line forming outside of PopMart before their opening. With unbridled excitement, I pulled Peter to stand in line with me with which he had no qualms.

He didn’t even raise an eyebrow at the purchase knowing that I had intention of distributing the small blind boxes to my eager friends and family. As fate would have it, each recipient of a blind box received their favorite from the series. My and their joy were enough to appease Peter’s disdain for trendy spending. Unbeknownst to him, that day he would also be the recipient of a Labubu (Zizi) which has since stolen his heart.

I can’t imagine what it is like to know so concretely and definitively what one wants and conversely, what one does not want. I’ve always been filled with a curiosity for things new or reimagined. Aside from enjoying experiences and things for their novelty, I get to discover new hobbies or indulgences that bring quality, flavor, and texture to my life.

Though the transience of these trends and hypes turn Peter away, it is exactly the fleeting nature that draws me. Some opportunities may never arise again, and I would not want to live with regrets whether big or small. Perhaps that is why I do not feel that badly about paying nearly $30 to try a mediocre smoothie from Erewhon.

I explained to Peter that I was not looking for the best smoothie or even wanting to be part of the in-crowd necessarily. I just wanted to understand the hype behind these smoothies. I don’t even drink smoothies very often, but I was open to learning from that grossly overpriced experience. The lesson? No smoothie is worth $30. I would not go back to Erewhon for a smoothie (or possibly anything else), but I’m glad I had that experience before writing them off.

Regrets or the fear of such can be a powerful motivator. When I think of even the simplest of pleasures, much of it is rooted in a fear of not enjoying my life to its fullest, as cliché as that sounds. Certain trends or hypes speak to me through the emotions they evoke: excitement, happiness, joy, satisfaction are a few. Very few, if any, of these trends stir up as many emotions for Peter—and that’s okay. That he is happy simply because I am happy is actually perfect for our dynamic. I get a large say over what we eat, do, and purchase while Peter is freed from decision fatigue.

XOXO,

Howard and Peter